ESPN College GameDay 2021: Location, TV Schedule and Week 6 Predictions

Last year's Red River Showdown featured four overtime periods and 98 total points. It wasn't surprising to see the Big 12 clash between Oklahoma and Texas turn into an offensive shootout, because it often has over the past decade.

The Sooners and Longhorns are set to face off at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas on Saturday, and there will likely be plenty of points scored again in this year's matchup. And with both teams entering the matchup ranked—Oklahoma is No. 6 and Texas is No. 21—it should be one of the top games taking place in Week 6 of the college football season.

ESPN's College GameDay will be airing live from Dallas beginning at 9 a.m. ET ahead of this marquee Big 12 matchup. It's the first time the popular college football kickoff show will be at the Cotton Bowl Stadium since the 2018 Red River Showdown, which was also the last time Texas defeated Oklahoma.

Here's everything you need to know heading into another packed weekend slate in Week 6.

Week 6 Top 25 Schedule, Predictions

Friday, Oct. 8

Temple at No. 5 Cincinnati, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN

Stanford at No. 22 Arizona State, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Saturday, Oct. 9

No. 6 Oklahoma vs. No. 21 Texas, noon ET, ABC

Maryland at No. 7 Ohio State, noon ET, Fox

No. 11 Michigan State at Rutgers, noon ET, Big Ten Network

No. 13 Arkansas at No. 17 Ole Miss, noon ET, ESPN

Vanderbilt at No. 20 Florida, noon ET, SEC Network

No. 2 Georgia at No. 18 Auburn, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS

Boise State at No. 10 BYU, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC

No. 19 Wake Forest at Syracuse, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2

No. 24 SMU at Navy, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network

No. 4 Penn State at No. 3 Iowa, 4 p.m. ET, Fox

No. 9 Michigan at Nebraska, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC

No. 14 Notre Dame at Virginia Tech, 7:30 p.m. ET, ACC Network

LSU at No. 16 Kentucky, 7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network

No. 1 Alabama at Texas A&M, 8 p.m. ET, CBS

New Mexico at No. 25 San Diego State, 9 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1

Picks in bold

Week 6 Preview

Oklahoma-Texas should be among Saturday's best games. But it isn't the only matchup featuring a pair of ranked teams, and it may not even be the one that has the biggest impact on the College Football Playoff picture.

That's because No. 3 Iowa is hosting No. 4 Penn State in a huge Big 10 clash in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes and Nittany Lions are both off to impressive 5-0 starts, and the winner of this game will become the clear front-runner to win the conference championship this season.

While Oklahoma-Texas will feature a lot of offense, Iowa-Penn State is going to be all about the defense. The Hawkeyes are allowing only 11.6 points per game and has 12 interceptions, the most in the nation. The Nittany Lions are allowing 12 points per game and have nine takeaways.

"I think everybody knows that's the storyline in this game," Penn State head coach James Franklin said, per John Bohnenkamp of the Associated Press.

If the Nittany Lions are going to win the Big Ten title, they're going to have to run the gauntlet of the conference's top teams. After this game, they'll still have matchups against No. 7 Ohio State, No. 9 Michigan and No. 11 Michigan State down the stretch. And it's possible they could run into the Hawkeyes again in the Big 10 Championship Game, if they get there.

Penn State had won six straight games against Iowa before the Hawkeyes won 41-21 in State College, Pa., last year. It was Iowa's first win over Penn State since 2010.

In the Big 12, Texas is still in the conference championship picture because its only loss so far came against an SEC opponent (a 40-21 defeat to Arkansas on Sept. 11). Not only that, the Longhorns have the potential to pick up big wins each of the next two weeks against Big 12 rivals, as they'll take on No. 12 Oklahoma State the following Saturday.

Before that, Texas will play in one of the top rivalry series in college football this week.

"It's a feeling that not a lot of people get to experience, so enjoy the experience, but when we touch the field, it's time to lock in because we've got a job to do," Longhorns linebacker DeMarvion Overshown said, per Stephen Hawkins of the Associated Press.

There are two other games featuring a pair of ranked teams on Saturday, both of which are in the SEC. No. 17 Ole Miss is hosting No. 13 Arkansas, while No. 2 Georgia is going on the road to face No. 18 Auburn.

The Rebels and Razorbacks are each looking to bounce back from their respective first losses of the season. Last week, Ole Miss lost at Alabama and Arkansas fell at Georgia.

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs seek another dominant defensive performance against the Tigers. Georgia has allowed only 23 total points during its 5-0 start, which includes shutouts each of the past two weeks against Vanderbilt and Arkansas.